The Hôtel Carnavalet was the townhouse in which this famous ‘Parisienne’ lived from 1677 until her death in 1696. The exhibition focuses on Madame de Sévigné’s presence in Paris at a time when the city was undergoing significant changes. Her life and her work serve as a springboard for visitors to learn more about the French capital in terms of its urban, social, political and artistic life. The exhibition opens with a consideration of the great letter writer’s place in the collective imagination and her literary legacy; it then turns its attention to the role of women in 17th-century Paris, as the culture of ‘galanterie’ began to proliferate. As a member of the elite, able to observe the pomp and pageantry of Louis XIV’s court from a distance, Madame de Sévigné was an attentive witness to political affairs in Paris, and keenly aware of the violent tensions that were shaping history at the time. Our journey through the 17th century is rounded off with a glimpse into day-to-day life at the Hôtel Carnavalet as it would have been when this celebrated woman of letters lived here with her family. 

The exhibition has been devised with the academic input of specialists in Madame de Sévigné’s letters and the period in which they were written; it is based on recent critical approaches to the great letter writer.